Cole Hutson is already standing out for the 2024 NHL Draft

Cole Hutson (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

BASEL, Switzerland – Many scouts knew Lane Hutson fell through the cracks. The talent, the speed, the offensive awareness. It was all there. He wasn’t the 62nd-best player in the 2022 NHL Draft.

But nobody expected the brilliance he unleashed on the world as a college free agent. You know the story by now: his 48 points were the most by a U-19 NCAA freshman defenseman in over 30 years. He’s in elite company. And while he always produced at every other level, leading Boston University never seemed like a possibility.

Even his own brother didn’t see it coming.

Cole Hutson is a very similar player to Lane. He’s a small, dynamic blueliner that has already taken the United States National Team Development blueline by storm. He’s playing up against older competition at the U-18 World Championship. And in two years’ time, he’ll be patrolling the same blueline as Lane with the Terriers. Their older brother, Quinn, was also a key goal-scorer for the school this year.

There’s another Hutson defenseman on the way, by the way. Lars is a 2008-born prospect playing in New Jersey like his older brothers and isn’t eligible until the 2027 draft. You can probably figure out his path to the pros, based on projections.

At 16, Cole is already receiving much of the same praise as Lane was back in the day. Lane was a top-flight offensive defenseman with the USNTDP, putting up great points with the U-18 team as an underager. His offensive skill was never questioned. And the same goes for Cole, who had 17 points in 13 games while playing top-four minutes and tons of power-play time with the U-18 squad. He was the best defenseman at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge a few months back, feeding star forwards Cole Eiserman and James Hagens from the point. Watching those three was like seeing poetry in motion. Just unstoppable.

And that continued with call-ups to the U-18 team, and, most recently, the U-18 World Championship. Hutson had three assists in his tournament debut while playing 19:36. He was thrown into all situations, and while there were some blunders along the way – he lost the battle to the puck that led to the lone Latvian goal on Thursday – he was his usual, creative self. And while Latvia wasn’t the toughest opponent, he still was a standout performer, and coach Dan Muse was thrilled with what he saw.

“When he has the puck in the offensive zone on power-play situations, the way he’s able to navigate the ice, the way he’s able to manipulate opponents and the vision that he has… he can break coverage in all three zones,” Muse said. “He can escape forecheck pressure, deep forecheck, he can escape in the neutral zone. He has a very good feel of when to move it and when it’s time to hold it.”

Muse said similar things about Lane, in case you care.

The American coach was especially thrilled about his play against college competition, which began with a two-game set against Lindenwood University in late February. It’s always notable when a U-17 player gets a call up to the U-18 team, because while the USHL competition is the same, you’re often playing against NCAA teams. You’re also fighting against older, more developed players in the system, too.

“The first few games were a bit different, just getting used to the team and the different systems,” Hutson said. “But it didn’t take long to get adjusted.”

There’s a reason why Cole is playing so much so early. He excels against quality competition. And thanks to his brother, scouts might have learned their lesson and not pass on Cole because he’s on the smaller size. Lane Hutson was drafted at 5-foot-8 – Cole is already 5-foot-10.

“I think I’m a little more physical (than Lane), and I think with my defense ability, I can close plays close with my size than him,” Hutson said.

Cole doesn’t let his size keep him down. He uses it to escape opponents with ease, and his lower center of gravity allows him to lands hits lower on a player that can take them out of the play. He’s not overly strong, but he still puts a ton of power behind his shot, and the results speak for themselves. And while there’s still the occasional defensive snafus, there aren’t many times where Hutson doesn’t find a way to make up for it. Granted, he won’t get away with those mistakes in the pro game, but he’s still young, still learning.

Cole describes himself as an offensive defenseman that can be a threat at either end. He said he grew up battling against his brothers, pushing each other to improve every chance they could get. Cole humbly said he thinks Lane will be the better player. But some scouts think Cole’s ability to learn and adapt – as well as having his brother as a muse – could give him the edge.

“They play a similar game,” one scout said. “Cole already looks more dynamic, more dominant than his brother was at his age.”

Those are bold words, and it helps that Cole has fit in so well offensively with Eiserman and Hagens, who could go No. 1 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. But in a vacuum, no matter the situation, Hutson still stands out.

“As a younger player who isn’t as big, he can kill a lot of plays,” Muse said. “He can kill a lot plays with his stick and his smarts. It’s something that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for.”

Cam York has the all-time points record among USNTDP defensemen with 65 in 2018-19, with Lane Hutson falling two points short a year ago. Cole’s combined total of 59 is third all-time, and just about every scout believes he’ll smash the record next season. The 2024 NHL Draft won’t be as top-heavy as 2024. But if Hutson keeps developing at this pace, he’ll likely be one of the first defensemen selected next summer.

“The sky truly is the limit here,” a scout said. “Cole is going to be an incredible prospect. Teams better not make the same mistake they did with Lane.”

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Cole Hutson is already standing out for the 2024 NHL Draft

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